Black Tea

Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, green and white teas.

All four types are made from leaves of the shrub (or small tree) Camellia sinensis. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the species are used – the small-leaved Chinese variety plant (C. sinensis subsp. sinensis), used for most other types of teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant (C. sinensis subsp.assamica), which was traditionally mainly used for black tea, although in recent years some green and white have been produced.

In Chinese language and the languages of neighbouring countries, black tea is known as "red tea", a description of the colour of the liquid; the Western term "black tea" refers to the colour of the oxidized leaves. In Chinese, "black tea" is a commonly used classification for post-fermented teas, such as Pu-erh tea; outside of China and its neighbouring countries, "red tea" more commonly refers to rooibos, a South African herbal tea.

While green tea usually loses its flavour within a year, black tea retains its flavour for several years. For this reason, it has long been an article of trade, and compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of de factocurrency in Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia into the 19th century. Although green tea has recently seen a revival due to its purported health benefits, black tea still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West.